Naruto Sensei
by lancecomwar
Summary: After leaving the village at a young age with Jiraiya of the Sannin, Naruto finds himself returning only to be made Jounin sensei of his former classmates: Hinata, Sakura, and Sasuke. Can he help fix their shattered hearts?
1. Pain and Departure

Oh hi guys, this is a reboot of my old story which I gave up on a while ago because I didn't really know where to go with I started over. I am logical! Made some changes, which you'll see later, though the immediate example is aging everyone up because twelve is too young. But yeah, the story should actually begin next chapter but feel free to enjoy this story based on a property I totally own and not that Kishimoto guy. Or do I? I forget. Oh right, I don't. Anyway, enjoy. Review and whatever, hopefully you enjoy!

Thanks to Ziltoid for betaing and some guy whow ishes to be anonymous for some reason for making my typos not so bad.

* * *

It was not an easy life a shinobi lived.

Shinobi lied. They stole. They tortured. They killed.

Even in his short career as a shinobi, Iruka Umino had seen the worst mankind was capable of. And, indeed, he had done some questionable things himself. He did not regret them, far from it, he knew it was in service of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, a village he so loved…but there was a part of him that had died in the process.

It was for that reason that he had found himself here, as a teacher in the Shinobi Academy. Even in a world marred by war and sin, the carefree innocence of youth could help distract him from the horrors of life…if only for a time. And thus, he found himself not as a battle hardened veteran fighting foreign armies, but merely walking down the hallway to his beloved classroom. Even across the hallway, it did not take a trained shinobi to hear their excited chatter within. Part of him was disappointed in its incessant romantic fixation on a certain young genius, but if he was to be honest with himself, he found that sort of bright eyed innocence to be relaxing.

As he opened the door, the talking did not immediately stop as their superior officer entered the room. They were children, after all, not battle hardened warriors. Holding back a smile, he began to call out for quiet when he noticed a peculiar absence in the room.

' _...Damn it, Naruto. Playing hooky, again?''_ Iruka sighed to himself. How on earth would that boy ever become Hokage if he couldn't even attend a simple class? And yet, despite the boy's lack of academic drive, his ill-deserved boastfulness, his mischievous nature, and his lack of talent at the very task he hoped to pursue…Iruka still could not help but feel a strange connection to the boy.

It was strange, indeed. Naruto was a jinchuuriki, the bearer of a terrible curse few could understand, even in a village plagued by cursed pasts. The boy held the spirit of the Nine-Tailed Fox, a terrible demon that had caused terrible destruction and carnage to the village twelve years prior. And because of that fact, the village itself shunned him. Parents guided their children to the other side of the street, children refused to play with him, merchants refused to serve him. Even Iruka himself once viewed him with animosity, seeing in the young boy the demon that had killed his own parents.

And despite all that…Naruto went on with a smile on his face. Iruka knew it was a fake smile, he himself had worn it all too often himself after all. Such was the life of a shinobi.

But Naruto was no shinobi, at least not yet. Though, to be fair, he might never become one if he kept skipping class like this.

Iruka sighed to himself. He couldn't leave the rest of his class to search for one lazy student, and he was not even supposed to force his students to come to class if they could not come themselves. But something drew Iruka to Naruto, something that inspired him to believe in the boy, even if logic would have to be thrown out the window for that. He couldn't just allow the boy to wither away to nothing by himself.

Besides, he had been working on his chakra capacity specifically for occasions like this.

With a quick hand sign, unviewable to any of his students, a Shadow Clone formed just outside the door and began to search for the lazy brat. Fighting back the immediate exhaustion he felt, Iruka called for class to begin.

* * *

' _Where are you, Naruto?'_

The young Hyuga heiress was never one to ignore the lecturing of her teachers. After all, in her home life, such an act would have grave consequences. True, she never really asked questions or participated in class discussions- her demeanor was far too meek for such actions. However, she always tried to listen and take notes, if for no other reason than to be polite to her rather nice instructor.

However, today was different. Today, her sun was not here.

She felt a deep rush of of embarrassing emotions as she thought of _him_. Happiness, courage, determination…and shame. Yes, shame, for she could not bring herself to speak to the boy, the boy she admired so much. The boy who, for reasons unbeknownst to her, was treated like an outcast by almost everyone in the village. The boy whom her own father gave her explicit instructions to never, _ever_ approach. The boy who, despite bearing a deep pain and loneliness, still never gave up, still wore a smile on his face as he faced the challenges ahead of him. And she could not bring herself to disobey her father and say hello.

Nor could she bring herself to audibly bring up the fact that he was missing to her teacher.

Even despite her admiration for the boy, Hinata could not deny that Naruto wasn't exactly the best or most diligent student. He never paid attention, frequently interrupted Iruka-sensei, and was late for class all too often. But, despite all that, he still showed up for class eventually. He was _never_ this late.

And it was that fear that kept her from paying attention to her Sensei. She felt bad about this- after all, Iruka was a kind man, one whom had quite a close bond with Naruto, after all- and she never really enjoyed not doing the things she was supposed to. But her worry for Naruto overwhelmed that.

Did Naruto just…give up? Did he finally give in to the rejections, the jeers, the stares? No, he couldn't have! Hinata steadfastly held firm that Naruto would never, _ever_ give up. That was his ninja way, after all. One that inspired her to have the same motto. His courage, his unwillingness to ever give up, no matter what, gave her the strength to endure whatever came her way. That boy made her feel happiness she could not even explain.

But then why? Was he…hurt? Was he in danger? Was he alone, crying in pain? Fear of what could happen to her sun consumed her. She did not know what she could do without his inspiring light.

But what could she do…? No matter the circumstances, of the potential dangers, of the possibility of losing her sun…she could not bring herself to ask Iruka-sensei. She would have curse herself for being so weak, of being such a coward, were cursing within her nature. But her feelings of weakness and uselessness were only amplified by her refusal to act, creating a swirling causality of which she could not escape. If only she weren't so weak, if only she could speak up to Iruka-Sensei about her fears...

She was so worried, she almost missed the life drift out of her instructor's face, and she would have if he didn't stop mid sentence while rambling about the finer details of nature manipulation. She was brought out of her depressing chain of thoughts by Iruka's hasty command of, "Class dismissed!" before he vanished in a swirl of leaves, leaving the entire classroom confused.

* * *

As Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, and one of the most powerful people in all the lands, both as a ninja and as a politician, Hiruzen had a lot of regrets.

It was impossible for a half decent man to bear so much weight, so much blood and sacrifice on one's shoulders, and not feel its burden upon his shoulders.

His dealings with the other villages…Child after child sent to die in meaningless battles…The Second and third Great Ninja Wars…His old comrades…Failing to alter the horrid state of the Hyuga clan...The Uchiha Massacre…

But perhaps his greatest regret was allowing his successor to die in his place.

' _Minato...'_ he lamented to himself, as he stared at the prodigy's broken joy. ' _If only I had gotten to you in time…If only I had performed the Reaper Death Seal in your place…_

' _You were the pride and joy of the village, the promise of a brighter tomorrow. And I… just the broken old relic of the past, struggling to adapt to an ever-changing world. In all my years, I never found another man more qualified to wear this hat than you, Minato._

' _And I…I let you die. No, worse. I could not even protect your son.'_ In all of his years, the battle hardened ninja had not cried in decades. After all, a ninja must never show tears. But staring down at the twelve year old boy, a bright and shining light in this dark and dreary world, bruised and broken beneath him. A victim of his own negligence.

"...You can come out, Kakashi."

The old ninja's burgeoning tears were soon quenched from existence as a masked, silver-haired man appeared beside him. He swiftly removed his outer porcelain mask, revealing another, smaller mask that only covered his mouth beneath it, a headband that covered his left eye, and an unreadable expression that betrayed no emotion. But an experienced ninja such as the Hokage could plainly tell that this, too, was just another mask.

"... How is he?" the young ANBU inquired, his tone completely hollow and emotionless.

"You can plainly see just by looking at him," the Hokage gravely replied.

At this, the young ninja trembled, sorrow and guilt radiating through his entire body so that it wouldn't even take a shinobi to see it. The young man's glove hand traveled to the spot where the the boy's left eye used to be "... And the perpetrator?"

"Dead," his superior simply replied.

At this, the young ninja retracted his hand and clenched it into a fist. "I wish you would have allowed me to do the deed…Sir."

The old man closed his eyes. "I feared you would take too much enjoyment out of the task. You have had enough darkness in your life, Kakashi."

Knowing the old man was right, Kakashi simply turned his one visible eye away from the broken boy and the broken man.

"Naruto would have most likely died as well, were it not for Iruka finding him," Hiruzen continued. "He's a good man, nearly exhausting himself from use of the shadow clone jutsu as well as rushing to save this boy. Was he not-"

"What about his ANBU guard?" Kakashi interrupted, a grave offense to do to the Hokage in a village such as this. But Hiruzen let it slide

"Apparently, Takakage decided to get a drink," Hiruzen chuckled humorlessly.

Kakashi shut his one visible eye and almost shook at the carelessness of his comrade. "His punishment?"

"He will be appropriately punished," the Third Hokage replied emotionlessly.

That was enough for Kakashi. He had other matters to worry about, after all.

"... Will Naruto be alright?"

"The Nine tailed Fox and his Uzumaki genes will prevent him from dying," Hiruzen gravely replied. "Iruka was able to get to him in time to prevent any lasting physical damage. As for his spirit…That remains to be seen. I fear this will be the incident that finally breaks him."

Kakashi covered his one visible eye with his hand. Hiruzen could see he was trying to fight back the tears, a grave offense in front of one's Kage. But he allowed it. It was hard enough for him to fight back his own.

"I- I should have been there for him," Kakashi choked out. "I should have guided him, trained him, raised him..." he trailed off, guilt and shame for his past inactions preventing him from saying any more.

Hiruzen stared over at the young ninja, a man who had given his life to the village. A man who had lost all for the village. "It would seem that we are both filled with regrets," the Hokage stated factually. "We have both done things by our inactions that made us just as guilty. But," he continued, as the young ANBU began to look even more downcast. "That only gives us a chance to fix the future."

Kakashi stared solemnly back at his Lord, as the weight of his words began to be felt on his shoulders. However, before he could say another word, a message from one of his Yamanaka ANBU suddenly was transmitted to his mind. A matter that would need his attention right away.

The boy's godfather was back in the Leaf.

* * *

"I _trusted_ you."

The words from his former student stung deep, but Hiruzen knew there was nothing but truth in them. And so, he continued to sit down at his desk, trusting his best medics to treat the boy well as he listened to his old student's rage.

"I left my godson to protect this village, and I trusted you to make sure he was well taken care of. And _this_ is what I come back to?"

Jiraiya of the Sannin slammed his fist on his master's desk, enough to cause a small indent in the wood. Hiruzen would need to get Tenzou in here to fix that.

But for now, he could only respond to his student's righteous fury.

"I cannot deny that I have failed the boy," Hiruzen calmly replied, as his eyes burned at his student with a fire enough to make even an experienced ninja such as Jiraiya recoil the tiniest fraction at the sight of. "The boy has been in my care twelve years, and in that time, he has endured pain far worse than any child his age must bear. But where," he asked, his voice raising in temper, "was his godfather all this time?"

The sheer power and killing intent coming from the Hokage was enough to make most men tremble to their knees. However, Jiraiya was not most men, and was perhaps the only shinobi wearing a Leaf headband who was able to hold his own against and perhaps even surpass the Hokage. "You know damn well my mission was too important," he spat back, his eyes narrowing at his old Sensei. "You're the one who gave me that job, remember? Or have you gone senile in your old age?"

"Your job is important, yes," Hiruzen continued, ignoring his student's anger fueled jab at his rising years, "Your spywork is of utmost important to the safety of this village and its shinobi. _However_ ," he continued, temper rising, "In the past twelve years, of all the times you have returned to personally deliver a report and engage in shameless behavior, not once have you ever actually interacted with Naruto."

Jiraiya froze in place, angered retort left to die on his tongue.

"I know Minato's death affected you greatly," Hiruzen, in all of his wisdom, got down to the heart of the matter. "And I know it is hard for you to see his face in his son. However…"

Jiraiya sighed deeply, his immediate rage quelled…for now. "...You're right, Hiruzen-sensei," he admitted, as he took a deep, reflective look on his own past. "I should have been there for him. But, I never thought it would end up like this…"

Hiruzen shook his head slightly. "This is obviously the worst occurrence, but this is far from the first…incident. I believe I told you in my reports of the boy?" He raised his eyebrow at his student's immediate ghostly complexion. Hiruzen had not seen his student this scared very often, and even then it was mostly when he had incurred the wrath of his fellow Sannin, Tsunade. "... Do not tell me. You did not even read my reports?"

Jiraiya was once more shaking- not in rage at his Sensei, but in despair at himself. "It- it was as you said," he admitted, his voice naught but a whisper. "I- I missed Minato so, and I couldn't bring myself to see him again, even if it was only a photo of his son…To be reminded of him…"

The Third Hokage closed his eyes as he contemplated this. "And in doing so, you have failed both him and his son," he stated bluntly.

Jiraiya slumped down at this. He knew this to be true. After all, how could he deny it? The truth was down in the deepest wings of the hospital, plain to see.

"Of course, I myself am not devoid of blame," the elderly Hokage admitted, sighing as he took a puff of smoke. "I was far too trusting of our citizenry, and have let things come this far. Even beyond this, he has not lived an easy life. The number of people he can say he truly trusts can be counted on a single hand."

"... Does the village really distrust Minato's seal that much?" Jiraiya huffed, his arms crossing at the news of his godson's life.

Hiruzen chuckled darkly. "It would seem so. And yet…"

At this, Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. "And yet?"

"There's a certain…spark to the boy," Hiruzen admitted. "No matter what obstacles placed before him, he has never given up. Despite having every reason to hate the village, he still wishes to become the Hokage and inspire people," he chuckled, smiling fondly of the boy he has grown to love as if he were his own grandson. "Though, I must admit, his skills are not quite up to par for such a dream…"

Jiraiya steeled himself. "That reminds me…" he said with a grimace. "He will need to improve himself…and fast."

Hiruzen nodded. "I concur, but I believe you have reasons beyond the obvious. Do tell," he said, readying himself for what he knew to be another huge problem.

"There is an organization forming, called the Akatsuki," Jiraiya began. "It's a highly secretive group comprised of the strongest and worst missing ninjas from all of the Elemental Countries."

"I have heard about them," Hiruzen affirmed. "I believe that the Stone has been making use of their services for mercenary purposes. Though I believe I am correct in saying that that is not what we have to worry about?"

"You are," Jiraiya nodded. "It would seem that that is merely a cover for their true goal…to capture all nine tailed beasts.

The temperature in the Hokage's office seemed to drop considerably at that.

"For…what purpose?" the battle-weary leader asked hesitatingly.

Jiraiya shook his head. "I am unsure," he admitted, his eyes downcast. "But one thing is for sure. We cannot allow a group of monsters like that to have control of such unbridled power, no matter what their motivations."

Hiruzen took a long and needed smoke from his pipe. "Then, what shall we do about Naruto? If we kept him in the village, he would have the entire Leaf Shinobi Corp to protect him-"

"Are you sure about that?" Jiraiya countered. "Or did you forget about what just happened?"

Hiruzen glared back at his former student. "That is different. It was not-"

"How can you expect to protect the boy from terrorists if you can't even protect him from his own people?" Jiraiya shouted, his chakra flaring as his temper rose once more.

To this, Hiruzen had no retort. "... Then what would you have me do?" he asked weakly, his voice cracking as his age poured out from every tired wrinkle.

Upon seeing his sensei's broken visage, Jiraiya found himself unable to speak. Sometimes, upon looking at his Sensei's powerful and dignified exterior, he forgot beneath it was an old man long past ready to turn in the hat.

"...I would take the boy under my tutelage," Jiraiya finally said.

Upon this utterance, Hiruzen found himself unable to keep the shock off his face. "Jiraiya, you can't-"

"Can't what? We were just saying I needed to spend more time with the brat," Jiraiya retorted.

"That's not- Jiraiya, your work sends you so far away from the village-"

"Which might be for the best, all things considered."

"- and towards all sorts of foreign dangers, including the Akatsuki."

"It doesn't sound like you're fully aware of just how dangerous the Akatsuki is," Jiraiya interjected. "Their disregard for morals has allowed them all to reach dangerous levels of power. Every single member is more than a match for anyone in this village-"

"Which is why-"

"Aside from me," Jiraiya concluded. A cold air brewed between the two at this bold declaration. "We both know I am stronger than you are now, whether or not you care to admit it. And, even if you _were_ strong enough to stand up against the combined might of the Akatsuki…this village is no place for a battlefield of that magnitude."

Hiruzen stared blankly at his former pupil, his face unreadable.

"If I took the boy…I could train him. I am a seal master, worked with and trained his mother, studied the work of Mito Uzumaki. I know the ins and outs of that seal more than anyone else in this village. No one here can help him reach his latent power like I can."

Hiruzen's face was still unreadable. "And what would you do if the Akatsuki finds the boy?"

"I will take him with me wherever I go. Before they can find us, we would be in a different country. We would always be on the move, impossible to track down. Not stuck in one highly populated spot like he is here, unable to reach his true potential."

Hiruzen took a whiff from his pipe. "...To always be on the move. Such is a dangerous life for a boy to live. Will he not have a home to return to?"

"...This village will always be his home," Jiraiya said softly. "As it is mine. Would he ever wish to return…and were his skills up to par…he could return."

Hiruzen closed his eyes, thinking of what his student was telling him. "You do realize, of course, you will always have to have an eye on him? Never letting the Akatsuki nor any other ne'er do wells have their shot at him, correct?"

"Of course, I-"

"That includes!" Hiruzen rumbled, his eyes narrowing at his former student. "Not sneaking off for your quote unquote research."

Jiraiya gulped. It seemed he did not think all of his plan through.

"So…take the boy with me to the hot springs?" he chuckled jokingly.

His sensei's stare proved he was alone in finding that funny.

"Alright, alright, I was joking anyway. I won't leave the boy alone to go to the hot springs," he sighed in defeat. ' _Besides, a shadow clone should be enough to keep him company, if only for that…Hehehe….'_

Hiruzen slumped in his chair. "...You make a strong argument, Jiraiya. I suppose I have no choice in the matter."

' _...Nor do I,'_ Jiraiya added silently, as he reflected on the fact of how he would have to look at Minato's face once more.

The face he failed.

"... Before I do, though…" Jiraiya sighed, as he fought back the lump in his throat. "Why don't you tell me about the brat?"

To Jiraiya's surprise, a warm, endearing smile came across his Sensei's face at the mere mention of the boy. And so, he listened, to his old teacher telling him about the young boy he would soon help raise.

* * *

It hurt.

That was all Naruto could think of as he began to regain awareness of his surroundings.

Not just the pure physical pain that restrained his movements. Not just the agonizing void from where his left eye used to be before it was cut out. He could even now feel that pain lessening with every second. No, the psychological effects from what he had just experienced were far worse.

He always knew he was different, always knew he was not like everyone else. That was a lesson he had learned every time a mother guided her child to the other side of the street, every time a store owner would toss him out of his store, every time hushed whispers and furtive glances were tossed his way.

All his life, he had endured pain. All his life, he had to struggle to maintain his smile. Struggled to perform childish pranks and annoy his classmates so that they would give him some recognition, _any_ recognition.

There were a few people who acknowledged him as a person, that much was true. The Third Hokage, the kindly old father figure of the entire village. Iruka-sensei, his instructor at the academy whose strict yet caring temperament gave him a structure he so desperately needed. The kindly old ramen chef and his daughter, who offered him a tasty meal and a warm smile.

They were the minority, true. But they were enough to make Naruto feel as if, perhaps, he had a place in this world. In this village.

But…after what happened…After what that man did to him…

Did he really have a place in this village?

Did he really have a place in this world?

All his life, he had held on to the belief that things would get better. That there was a _point_ to all of this, that one day he would become Hokage and everyone would love and respect him and all this pain and loneliness would be a distant memory. But now, after the pure agony he suffered through, after experiencing the worst of humanity try to bring out its pain and frustrations on a small child…Was there any hope for him? For this world?

He knew his thoughts were unbecoming of a twelve year old boy…

But fate had made him grow up faster than he had any right to.

"Up already? You really are as tenacious as a cockroach."

Hearing an unfamiliar voice, Naruto tried to lift himself up by his shoulders and opened his one eye with great difficulty to face an unfamiliar sight. A tall, white-haired older man with a red jacket and chain mail was staring at him with a blank expression. Crunching his one good eye, Naruto examined the man closely. "Who… are you?" he croaked out.

The older man gave him a big smile, though Naruto was well enough versed in faking smiles that he could see the pain shining through. "You really don't know who I am? I thought you'd have heard about me in the Academy, though I suppose Hiruzen-sensei did say you weren't exactly the best student…"

Now, Naruto was usually one to get angry at perceived insults at his intellectual prowess or promise at a ninja. He worked hard, despite barely having anyone to help or cheer him on. It wasn't his fault the test questions were so hard and the jutsus refused to work when he attempted them, damn it! But at this moment, with the pure pain he felt from his recent trials and tribulations, he could no longer muster the strength to stand up for himself. But, despite his test scores in the Academy, he was knowledgeable when it came to the people he was close to. And even if he called him Gramps, he knew the Third Hokage's real name. And he was smart enough to piece what the man said together.

"Hiruzen…sensei?" he muttered, shaking his head as he could feel his muscles loosen. "You're…Gramp's student?"

At once, he could tell the strange older man's smile lightened, as if he were chuckling in reminiscence. "Yes, that's right," he said with a chuckle. "Name's Jiraiya of the Legendary Sannin. Student of the Third Hokage, Sensei to the Fourth."

Even despite the pain, the sorrow, Naruto could not help contain his awe as his eye opened wide and his jaw widened down. "You…you trained the Fourth Hokage?" he croaked, and not just entirely due to the pain. At once, it was like he forgot everything that just happened as his trademark grin enveloped his face and his eye shined with a bright excitement. "Wow! The Fourth Hokage is my idol! He was cool and strong and brave and stuff, though if you trained him you must be too, though you weren't the Hokage so I guess you wouldn't be as awesome as him. Though the Third Hokage is awesome too so if he was your Sensei then I guess that's to be expected and-hey, are you laughing at me?"

The older man ceased his chuckling as he used his pointer finger to discreetly rub something from his eyes. "No, it's just…you remind me so much of…" he sighed. "Never mind. But you might want to hold your tongue, brat," his smirk darkened as he saw the aforementioned brat's brow furrow at the new nickname. "After all, I am presently the most powerful ninja wearing a Leaf Headband.

Naruto blinked once. Twice. "Don't believe it," he scoffed, causing the older man's composure to falter. "The Hokage is the strongest in the village and you aren't the Hokage, so you aren't the strongest in the village."

Upon hearing the young kid's logic, Jiraiya found his anger and embarrassment dissipate. Soon, he was laughing once more, much to the younger boy's annoyance. "Brat, things are a lot more complicated than that," he said with a chuckle. "Besides, I could be Hokage right now if I asked Hiruzen-Sensei."

"If that's true, then why don't you?" Naruto huffed definitively

"Never really wanted the job," Jiraiya said with a shrug.

The room was quiet for a moment as Naruto stared straight ahead at this strange old man, before finally the room echoed a loud and resounding, "WHAT?!"

"Ow, my ears…"Jiraiya muttered as he picked one with his pinkie.

"How could you not want to be Hokage?! Being a Hokage would be cool and awesome and…and…everyone would have to respect you…" he finished with a whisper, as the memories of what happened came crashing down. Try as he did to repress them…he could feel familiar tears building up. Though now, he could only cry in one eye.

But, to his shock, he did not cry alone. For, as soon he his tears began to shed, he felt big strong arms wrap around his back as his face was crushed against the strange man's chest as Jiraiya whispered to him. And yet, despite his unfamiliarity with the man and the idea, Naruto latched onto both as he cried further into the old man's arms, awash in pain but yet relishing in the comfort of a simple hug.

For a moment, Naruto wondered if this might be what it's like to be hugged by a father.

A ninja should never cry, should never show emotion, that was one of the rules of a shinobi. But Jiraiya wasn't the kind of man to be bound by arbitrary rules, and for now, he was not holding a ninja or his pupil. For now, he was holding a scared, lonely little boy.

The two held on to one another, as Naruto cried twelve years worth of tears, and Jiraiya endured twelve years worth of parental obligation. Each sob was like a dagger in the old man's heart, and he cursed himself for each and every one.

"He…he called me a monster," Naruto sobbed, clutching on closer.

" _You're not,_ " Jiraiya almost growled, clenching his eyes shut as he held the poor boy even more.

"He…said I killed his wife…his family…so many others…" he muttered through the sobs as he rubbed his face in the old man's comforting chest.

" _You didn't._ "

"He said I'm a demon…"

"Naruto!" Jiraiya shouted, startling the boy as he stared him straight in the eye. "You are not a demon. You are _Uzumaki Naruto_. You're an annoying brat with a shit load of potential, do you hear me? You love ramen, you love those who are close to you, and you love playing harmless pranks. Do you hear me?"

Naruto was unable to answer, for he was too shocked as he stare into the old, veteran shinobi's eyes. Watery, just like his own.

"Naruto…" Jiraiya's voice cracked, as he was no longer able to contain his own tears. "I…I'm sorry."

At this, Naruto was shocked. "Why? You didn't…"

"Yes…I did," Jiraiya admitted, fighting back the lump in his throat. "I…I was supposed to take care of you…" he admitted.

Naruto's eye widened. "Then…why…"

Jiraiya's eyes closed, as if lost in memories. Gently, he reopened them, giving the young boy the best smile he could possibly give. "I ran away from my duty to you…out of duty to the village," he half told the truth. "But…please, allow me to make it up to you…"

Naruto stared incredulously at the older ninja. "How…?"

Jiraiya gave a gleaming, promising smile. "By allowing me to take you as my student."

* * *

It did not take long for Naruto to say goodbye to everyone. There weren't very many people to say goodbye to, after all.

Iruka did not cry, though it looked like he was about to. Especially when the ramen chef's daughter, Ayame, was a wreck when he saw his bandaged face. Even her father, Teuchi, was barely able to keep his composure. But they were not ninjas, Iruka was. They were not expected to hold back from such displays.

Naruto, for his part, seemed to all but forget the pain. He was just so excited to go on a private training mission with such a legendary Shinobi, that he could not help but regale the trio of the ramen chefs and Iruka with talk of his deeds.

"... and THEN that salamander guy was all 'You one of the three strongest opponents I have ever faced'," Naruto boasted, his voice comedically lowering as he impersonated "that Salamander guy". "'You will now be known as the Sannin!"

Iruka shook his head. "You know, Naruto, this was all covered-"

"But _then_ Jiraiya-Sensei was all 'HELL NO YOU EVIL DOER!' and defeated that guy with a single punch. Pretty awesome, ri- OUCH What was that for, Iruka-Sensei!"

"While I'm glad you're finally taking your lessons seriously," Iruka huffed. "It would be nice if you didn't just make tall tales up."

Naruto blinked. "But…that's what Jiraiya-Sensei said! He wouldn't lie, would he?"

Iruka blinked. "Um…No, I…I guess he wouldn't…"

"Yeah! So Jiraiya-Sensei killed that dude! So anyway, after that, he went all-"

As Naruto regaled his old Sensei and the ramen chefs with falsified accounts of basic Academy Lectures, just across the street said legend was talking with another, albeit less famous, legend.

"You sure you don't want to say goodbye, Kakashi?" Jiraiya asked the young man from their rooftop perch as they both watched the events unfold.

"No," Kakashi said simply. "I…I haven't yet earned the right…"

Jiraiya chuckled. "Neither of us have," he admitted. "But I do believe he'll need us both."

Kakashi was silent as he continued his vigil. "I guess…I'm just not as strong as you are, Lord Jiraiya."

Jiraiya stared at the young man. With a sigh, he shook his head. "If you ever want to see him…You know who to contact."

With that, the older man leaped down to get his new ward. Kakashi stared down, a strange emptiness in his gut.

' _It's not a matter of if I want to…It's a matter of if I deserve to…'_

"Alright, Naruto," Jiraiya said as he opened the curtains leading to Ichiraku ramen. "We should probably head out if we want to get to Tanzaku on time."

Upon hearing this, Naruto slurped up his final bowl of Ichiraku ramen before standing up. He stared at Teuchi and Ayame, the two ramen chefs looking at him with such pride and sadness he could not help himself but to leap over the counter and surprise the two with a hug.

"So long you two…" he whispered as they both eased into the surprise hug and returned the favor. "And thanks for all the ramen."

With that, he leaped back down to his side, and stared at Iruka. The Academy Instructor was fighting back tears, and it took no time at all for Naruto to leap at him as well and give him a great big hug.

"Take care, Naruto…" Iruka whispered. "Learn a lot from Lord Jiraiya. Just…try to only learn the good things."

Naruto stared confusedly at Iruka, before chuckling. "Don't worry, Jiraiya-sensei's nothing but awesome. Don't you worry, I'll be just as awesome when I get back!"

Iruka could feel something in his throat, and it wasn't just because of the pain of losing his favorite student. Suddenly, he could not help but worry the legendary Sannin would impose his…less savory characteristics on the boy.

Jiraiya smiled, enjoying the scene. But he did have a job to do, after all. "Come on, brat," he huckled, ignoring the annoyed look said brat gave him. "We've got to get a move on."

Naruto nodded with a smile. "See ya, Iruka-sensei! Old man! Big sis! When I get back, I'll be an awesome ninja!" The three saw him off with waves and heavy hearts.

As the two left the village gates, Naruto gave one last look at the stone image of his hero. "Just you wait, Fourth Hokage…Soon enough, I'll be right there next to you!"

* * *

It was not an easy life a shinobi lived.

Shinobi lied. They stole. They tortured. They killed.

And yet, with the help of the bonds of their comrades, teachers and students…

They endured.


	2. Four Years Later

Well, this took longer than I would have wanted. Gonna try and work faster,I stopped writing for a while there in the middle so ya lol.

Also, want to reiterate that, while this is a Naruhina story (eventually), it's not the focus. So pay careful attention to who the other main characters are. Anyway, I've kept you waiting long enough.

* * *

'... It will be four years next week…'

Hinata Hyuga sighed as she stared out the window, absentmindedly twirling her long flowing hair around her finger as she ignored Iruka-Sensei's lecture.

Yes. it was true: she, Hinata Hyuga, was ignoring her classwork.

She smiled sadly at how pathetic it was. She was the daughter of the renowned head of the Hyuga clan, one of the oldest and most powerful clans in the entire village- nay, the entire world- and she was utterly broken. And not just that, but because of a boy. A boy who had never even acknowledged her existence.

When she was a child, she was able to hold onto hope against her troubled upbringing by latching onto the hope provided by her sun, a bright cheery boy always smiling in spite of all the pain and loneliness and rejection he suffered through. A boy that would never give up.

Until, one day… he did.

Hinata did not know what exactly happened to Naruto Uzumaki. One day, he did not show up for class, and Iruka-Sensei left hurriedly in the middle of a lecture all of a sudden. The next… he was gone.

Iruka showed up the next day, a stoic face emotionless to most. However, even if she was a disgrace to the Hyuga, Hinata was well trained enough in reading faces to know that Iruka-Sensei was holding back the pain. Hinata knew just how much the scarred chuunin meant to Naruto, and how much the young troublemaker meant to Iruka-Sensei. She could not help but worry about what could possibly have happened with Naruto to incite such a reaction from the battle hardened shinobi.

It's just… she was the only one who did. No one else in the class ever bothered to ask Iruka-Sensei about Naruto's wellbeing. Sure, a few times some students expressed relief that the annoying eyesore was gone, but no one ever really worried about what happened to him. Except for Hinata, of course, only she was completely unable to work up the courage to ask her Sensei what happened to her secret idol.

And so, Hinata was forced to assume the worst.

Naruto had either given up… or was dead.

Both options scared the young girl so much she could not pick which was worse.

Without her sun to guide her through the dark times, she found herself no longer able to withstand the constant degradation and contempt from her family and clansmen. Without the promise of Naruto's sunny smile to counteract the cold, disapproving stone gaze of her father, she shrunk back even further into herself and her own insecurities.

Whereas once, she could feel like she was improving, or at least strong enough to try, now… Well, there was a reason she grew her bangs to cover her forehead.

To cover the symbol of her complete and utter failure.

"Hinata Hyuga, are you listening?"

The stern inquisition of her sensei rattled Hinata from her self deprecating thoughts, and she meekly turned to face the elder shinobi. She nodded quietly, before realizing that she would probably need to say something for him to take his attention elsewhere. "Yes, Iruka-Sensei," she meekly said, and she was relieved to see him continue his lecture.

Not that she was paying much attention. Instead, her mind drifted once more, this time to her classmates that littered the room. Some were listening intently, scribbling notes as they tried to make the most out of this last minute cram session. Others were barely paying attention at all, staring out into nothingness themselves, making Hinata wonder why she was being picked on personally by their scarred teacher. Not that she wasn't used to it, if course.

First, there was Sasuke Uchiha, the last of the once illustrious Uchiha clan that once rivaled her own as one of the most powerful clans in the entire world. A clan that was no more, slaughtered in one single night by his own brother.

Sasuke Uchiha was by far the most gifted student in the entire class. Even if his skills paled in comparison to his traitorous brother, he was even still a credit to the renowned clan he was now sole legitimate heir to. Unlike Hinata herself.

But despite this, Hinata could not help but feel pity for the boy, to have everything and have it taken away by the one he loved the most. But unlike the rest of the class, Hinata felt no more than pity for him.

She felt sorry for his cold and damaged mental state, an agonizing pain she knew far surpassed her own. And yet, he let the pain consume him, pushing aside people who tried to reach out to him. Hinata knew he was hurting and that insincere gestures of praise of pity meant nothing to him, but the way he brushed off all attempts at outreach, attempts she would love to have… Perhaps she did feel something besides pity.

Then there was Sakura Haruno, one of the smartest and prettiest girls in the class. Despite not coming from a renowned clan, and indeed being merely the daughter of civilian merchants, her studious nature, natural talents and raw determination propelled her to be one of the top students in the entire class, at least when it came to book smarts.

Hinata felt some stray animosity toward the girl, of how the boy she once admired so much had devoted himself to winning the pink haired girl's affections only to be rebuked at every turn. Of how the girl who her sun never gave up to win the affections of spurred his advances, only to latch onto the uncaring Sasuke Uchiha.

But truth be told… Hinata could not exactly fault her for following in the footsteps of a boy. After all, she herself lost all hope when the boy she idolized vanished without a trace…

Then there was Ino Yamanaka, heir to the famous Yamanaka clan. Although not as prestigious or refined as the Hyuga or Uchiha, the Yamanaka were still a well known clan with a rich history. However, the errs of modernity had caught up to Ino, who spent most of her time fancying about boys and fashion instead of focusing on her schoolwork. Even despite that, her natural talents propelled her beyond Hinata's grades to rival Sakura as the highest scoring kunoichi in the class. Needless to say, there was a fierce rivalry between her and the civilian prodigy, both in the fields of academics and romance.

Chouji, the heir to the Akimichi clan, was a kind and gentle soul. Like all Akimichis, he did not merely eat food- he lived it. Weight and body mass was essential to his clan's brute strength, but at the same time he was a kind and gentle boy. One whom seemed sad when Naruto vanished without a trace… but just like Hinata, he never said a word.

Shikamaru Nara, best friend to Chouji, was a lazy bum like all Naras. While his intellect and potential rivaled that of Sasuke and Sakura, he was too lazy to attempt more than the bare minimum. Hinata knew little more about the boy, as telling others about himself was too much effort.

Shino Aburame was, like all Aburames, very secretive and solitary. He utilized his clan's special ability to host a hive of insects quite efficiently and did well in academics, but playing host to a seemingly infinite supply of bugs as well as dressing like a recluse did little to endear himself to the other students. Still, at the very least the other students tended to be courteous toward him.

Kiba was an Inuzuka, which was not so much a clan as it was a pack. Always accompanied by his loyal ninja hound Akamaru, Kiba thrived on loyalty and being part of a larger group. And yet, like all of the other kids, he seemed to exclude Naruto from said group, as if he was not good enough to be part of his pack. Something Hinata could never understand why.

Sai was another clanless ninja, born without parents or lineage to speak of. However, whereas other clanless shinobi found themselves unable to succeed without the skills clansmen taught one another, Sai was able to learn a very difficult skillset consisting of living paint seemingly by himself. Hinata had to admit, if there was anyone in the class still that she admired, it would be the pale faced boy.

There were other students in their class, certainly, but none of them Hinata expected to ever obtain much renown or prestigious in this dangerous world of theirs. Including, she thought bitterly, herself.

"-and I want to reiterate I want everyone to remember that," Hinata suddenly heard Iruka-sensei say loudly, breaking her once more from her wandering mind. "And with that, I wish you all good luck on your final exam tomorrow. Dismissed."

Final Exam. That's right. Tomorrow, Hinata would take the test to graduate from the Academy. If she were to pass, she would join two of her classmates and a jounin Sensei on training and missions in the service of the Leaf village, risking her life to bring honor to her village and clan.

She could only pray she would not bring further shame to herself.

* * *

Hiruzen Sarutobi was far, far too old for this job.

The past four years had only served to reinforce that point.

After he opted to let Jiraiya train Naruto, his advisors, who had spent the past twelve years demanding the Nine Tails vessel be placed under further training, now were demanding to know why they let their most powerful Shinobi take the boy on a training mission away from the village, especially with the Akatsuki threat now brought to their attention. But no amount of their demanding for his safe return could convince the old Hokage. He knew far too well what they really wanted was a weapon.

Between the boy, the village, and the Land of Fire, Hiruzen could feel his age swiftly catching up to him. And still, he persevered, hoping beyond hope that he could keep his sanity long enough to find a decent replacement.

It was only too bad when reality threw another wrench into the works.

It had now been seven years since what may have been the greatest blow to the Village in history, even greater than the Nine Tails attack nine years before that: The Uchiha massacre.

In a single night, the entire clan, the strongest in the Hidden Leaf, was massacred by its most gifted prodigy in generations… with the sole exception of that man's brother. As the last survivor of one of the greatest clans in history, Sasuke Uchiha had many expectations on his shoulders. Many deeds he needed to accomplish.

His old friends, who once hounded him over his "improper training" of Naruto Uzumaki, now were on him night and day over how to best prepare the Last Uchiha in service to the village. To best prepare him for beginning a new generation of Uchiha. He knew they were right, that service to the village came before all else…

And yet… he faltered.

He knew that he had been soft in regards to Naruto Uzumaki, the boy he had grown to see as a grandson. It was that softness that allowed Naruto to experience a side to this world Hiruzen would not wish upon anyone. It was with a heavy heart that he had allowed Jiraiya to take the boy on his travels, but with the benefit of hindsight he knew he had made the right choice.

But he could not make the same decision for Sasuke. Sasuke had also experienced an unspeakable pain, and yearned to break free of his confines and grow, just like Naruto once had. However, Hiruzen could not, with a good conscience, repeat those actions and toss Sasuke into a world of danger and evil he was not prepared for.

Perhaps it was because of guilt, of unspeakable crimes he himself had a part in…

Or maybe, Sasuke was just utterly broken.

He was gifted, there was no doubt about that. Best in the class, a true genius. His scores may have paled in comparison to his brother, Itachi, but he was still heads and shoulders above most Academy graduates.

But it was his brother who was the problem. Simply put, Sasuke was completely and utterly obsessed with killing his brother and getting revenge for his clan.

How could a boy so obsessed with killing a single man possible be an asset to his team? To his village?

He couldn't, that was the bottom line.

And yet, he had to be. The Uchiha were a vital asset to the Hidden Leaf, whose loss decimated their power throughout the land. To recreate such an ancient and powerful clan was a tall order to bestow upon such a young and broken child, Hiruzen knew, but it needed to be done.

The question remained… What potential team would properly aid the boy?

The Inuzuka would be an obvious choice, due to his clan's famous steadfast loyalty and companionship. However, that might prove to be a problem in and out of itself: as a boy who had a joyous and easygoing upbringing in a loving and happy home, he could not possibly be expected to relate to Sasuke.

Such was the case with most other classmates. Of the ones who were expected to succeed and proceed in their ninja careers, only the young orphan, Sai, could be expected to potentially relate to him. Unfortunately, both boys were both so socially dysfunctional, any interactions between the two would be too minimal to affect either.

No, perhaps there was another… Hinata Hyuga, despite growing up the daughter of the head of the most powerful and noble family in the village, was was broken and shattered herself. Known as a disgrace to her family, the girl did not possess much natural affinity for the shinobi life. While she would probably fail the test herself and ought to, she could potentially relate to the Last Uchiha in ways few others could… What's more, Sasuke would need to develop interest in females eventually, and Hinata would most certainly be a great wife if nothing else…

Yes, perhaps that was the best route to take. While Hinata did not display any interest in Sasuke as of yet, nor any other boy for that matter, she could easily be groomed to be his bride eventually. And even if that avenue would not work, perhaps another female teammate might heighten the odds…

Sakura Haruno, daughter of civilian merchants, was obviously interested in Sasuke. While many other females in the class where, she had the added benefit of being a gifted shinobi of her own right. While Ino Yamanaka's infatuation with the Uchiha rivaled hers, she did have duties to her own clan. Duties which Sakura did not have. Nor did Hinata, for they would no doubt fall to her younger sister. Both Sakura and Hinata would be perfect for bringing about a new generation of Uchiha, should they be able to get Sasuke to think about such things.

Of course, in order for Sasuke to be willing to repopulate his clan, first he would have to let go of his current fixation… And to do that, he would need a guide, beyond that of two suitable females. Perhaps his Sensei could fill that role?

The obvious choice would be Kakashi. As one of the most powerful jounin in the village, Kakashi was obviously skilled enough to train the Last Uchiha to his fullest potential. Furthermore, due to his late departed friend, he was still in possession of the Uchiha's legendary eye- the Sharingan, which Sasuke would one day need to learn how to use.

At first glance, Kakashi's past would also line up with healing Sasuke's mental wounds. After all, he had also lost his friends and comrades at a young age, blaming himself for their deaths as well as not being able to be there for his late Sensei's son. One would think he, as one who also dealt with undeniable pain, would be able to emphasis and connect with Sasuke in the way no one else would.

They would think, if it weren't for the fact that Kakashi himself was completely and utterly broken. He himself had never recovered from his wounds, burying himself in his work and service to the village. Which was all fine and good, if Sasuke would also be able to live a life of bachelorhood.

No, Sasuke's future familial status was of the utmost importance to the village, and he could not permit the Last Uchiha to inherit such dark drives from any ninja, no matter how skilled. But then, who could possibly fill the role?

As he fought a sigh of frustration, as if by luck, a small toad leaped in through the window. Raising his eyebrow, a strange and unorthodox idea began to take hold as he listened to the small creature's report…

* * *

"Again!"

Struggling to her feet once more, Hinata Hyuga hastily attempted to regain her breath before once more positioning her hands into the traditional Gentle Fist stance. With a cry, she struck her hand forward toward her opponent…

… who effortlessly moved his head slightly to dodge the attack, before lowering his own Gentle Fist directly on her neck, sending her flying back several feet.

"Again!" Her father called out, and so Hinata struggled once more to rise to the challenge. But this time, her feet failed her, and she fell back to the ground panting heavily.

"Pathetic," her father said, shaking his head. "Ko, take her to her chambers," he told her guardian dismissively before leaving the dojo.

Ko hurried to her side, but Hinata was unable to hold on to consciousness for too long. As the light of day left her eyes, all she could think of was her father's departing comment… and how true it was.

* * *

A kunai was flung at the tree… and once again, it landed several centimeters away from the target.

Sakura Haruno cursed to herself as she went to pick up her kunai. While such a feat would be passable on the Final Exam, she had far greater aspirations than merely being passable.

She was the daughter of merchants, so the most anyone would assume she could achieve would be a run of the mill shinobi. A genin for life, maybe a chuunin if she applied herself. Sure, there were exceptions, of incredibly gifted and powerful shinobi who used their own wits to achieve legendary status… But for the most part, children who dared to dream of becoming the next Jiraiya or Fourth Hokage would find themselves bleeding to death alone on the battlefield.

Sakura could not allow that to happen. She would not allow that to happen. She had already trained her mind, achieving the highest score in her entire class. But she knew that was not enough.

No, she needed to do better. A few centimeters off would make the difference between life and death… of serving her village and failing it.

With a hardened expression, she threw another kunai.

* * *

A great ball of fire erupted from the lips of the Last Uchiha, blasting its way across the plains before knocking incinerating a stray tree.

After performing his clan's famous technique, Sasuke began to run straight ahead. As he was running, he performed the handsigns for another fireball. This time, however, he blew the fireball to his side, carefully maintaining his velocity as he blew the fireball to the side. Another tree fell victim to this attack, bursting into a black pile of ash.

As Sasuke neared the pile of ash created from his first fireball, he jumped straight over it, never losing his momentum. Doing a flip in midair, he landed once more on his feet, before throwing a kunai in a seemingly random direction.

That direction was not random, however, as it perfectly impaled a tomato he had left lying on a stump earlier, causing it to explode into a pile of red goo.

Sasuke took a moment to assess the situation. Good, but not good enough. For his enemy would be far superior.

He needed to get stronger. He needed to kill Itachi.

He could only hope that whatever Sensei this village bestowed him, he would be of aid to him.

* * *

Night fell, and soon the day of the Graduation exam arrived.

For hours, the class's skills and knowledge were put to the test. Session after session of grueling mental and physical training grinded away at their patience and hope, for this was the day that determined their future and if their entire childhood was wasted.

After what seemed like an eternity, however… the day ended. Now, to see what their future holds...

Hinata felt a strange sense of emptiness as she awaited her team assignments. On the one hand, she had actually managed to pass! Barely, of course, but that was better than she feared.

However… the simple fact remained that she had barely passed. She, the daughter of the clan head of the most powerful clan in the Leaf, barely passed on a technicality. How on earth could she possibly expect whatever Sensei was assigned to her to fix her? She was far too beyond hope for that.

Soon, Iruka-Sensei entered the room. Immediately, all chatter was silenced and all students who passed paid close attention to their sensei, in contrast to how earlier Iruka would need to shut them up himself. It was as if the reality of what they were about to embark upon was just dawning on them.

"Everyone, first, I would like to say: Congratulations!" he exclaimed with an honest smile on his face. "Over the years you have been my students, we have all had our differences. We have stumbled, we have struggled. We have all hit road blocks, but what puts us above the rest is that we turned those roadblocks into stepping stones.

"I am not going to lie, the life of a ninja is not an easy one," he changed tones, adopting a much more grim look as he continued his lecture. "Shinobis lie. They steal. They torture. They kill."

The classroom stared back at his grim expression, shocked to see the pain and hardness on their always cheerful Sensei's face. All at once, they realized that Iruka was a battle hardened ninja in his own right. And that he was not lying about their own future.

"It is enough to break the weakest of men," he added solemnly. "But I know, you are strong. You will persevere. You will endure. So remember. Protect one another. Serve your teammates and clans with pride. And, above all us, make our village proud."

Iruka smiled, letting the sense of pride he felt vividly show to all his students. "Fellow Shinobi of the Hidden Leaf… Keep alive the Will Of Fire."

While the students tried to absorb his heavy plea, Iruka gave them little time to do so. "As you are all aware, you will be divided into teams of three, under the command of a Jounin-Sensei. These team assignments were crafted by Lord Hokage himself, so I do not want to hear any complaining or requests for Team Assignments. Doing so will be judged as insubordination, and will be dealt with justly. Do I make myself clear?"

The students gulped and nodded affirmatively. The years of lectures had already gave them a idea of the results of insubordination.

Iruka began going down the team assignments one by one. Although some were disappointed they were not with their friends, or in the case of a few females, the legendary Sasuke Uchiha, they knew more than enough to voice their objections outloud.

Hinata listened one by one, not really caring where she ended up but needing to know where she did regardless. One by one, teams were called, though she did not care enough to pay much attention when she did not hear her name.

Finally, however, their Sensei reached Team 7.

"Team Seven: Hinata Hyuga…"

At this, her ears perked up ever so slightly.

"Sakura Haruno…"

Hinata's turned to face the fiery girl, only to see the civilian born staring forward at their Sensei with a fierce look of determination. Gulping, Hinata turned back forward and paid full attention to the assignments.

"... and Sasuke Uchiha."

At once, many of the girls had to resist the urge to break protocol. Sakura could barely keep the grin off her face as almost every other girl had to fight back groans, especially the few like Ino who had not been called yet and therefore were holding on hope.

Hinata, for her part, could only look at Sasuke Uchiha, who was predictably staring forward with naught but a ghost of a scowl on his face. She frowned. While she did not particularly care for the Last Uchiha one way or the other, she knew he was a very gifted Shinobi and a vital asset to the village. How on earth would she not just be a burden to him?

"Team 8…" Iruka began calling the next team, but Sakura soon raised her hand. "Yes, Sakura, what is it?"

"Excuse me, Iruka-Sensei, but you did not say who our team's Sensei would be like you did for the rest of the teams?"

"Yes, Sakura. The reason for that is that your Sensei has decided not to disclose his identity until he meets up with you. Now then, Team 8…"

Hinata tuned out after this. What reason could their Sensei have for hiding his identity? Perhaps he was some super famous, super dangerous ninja with a lot of prestige and a lot of enemies? Her teammate was Sasuke Uchiha, after all. It would only make sense if he would get the most skilled and qualified ninja to be his Sensei.

She could only hope she would not prove to be a burden.

* * *

"Team Four, move out."

All new genin members of Team Four followed their new sensei out the door, leaving the three members of the newly formed Team Seven with their former sensei Iruka.

"Alright, I'll be seeing you later," Iruka chuckled to himself as he gathered up his belongings.

"W-wait a second!" Sakura exclaimed. "What about our Sensei?"

Iruka ignored the outburst, merely smiling cryptically back at the pink haired teenager. "Your new Sensei has a bit of a… habit," he clarified, in a way. "Do not leave here until he comes by to get you." With that, he vanished in a swirl of leaves (and papers from his desk), leaving the three genin with more questions than answers.

As much as she wanted to scream at the vanished Iruka and her mystery Sensei, Sakura maintained her calm. She was a ninja now, after all, one whom many would expect to be no more than fodder to fill the ranks. She had to maintain her cool.

Hinata sat and waited quietly. She would not object, audibly or internal. To do as was asked of her was all she wished for.

As for Sasuke… the wheels of his mind were turning. He was no fool, he had studied the famous ninjas of the hidden lead. He knew full well the legend of Kakashi of the Sharingan, as well as his legendary lateness. Although he, like many in his now extinct clan, held animosity toward the masked man over using and excelling at the stolen power of the Uchiha, he knew the man was a great ninja, and there was no other better left to teach him how to best use his Sharingan. He would bite his pride and accept this man… after all, he needed to do whatever it took to avenge his clan.

* * *

… this, however, was trying his patience.

It had been over three hours since Iruka left, three hours since he head been left alone with his new "teammates". And in that time, his illustrious Sensei had not deigned fit to grace them with his presence.

No matter how great a shinobi this Kakashi was, with or without his borrowed power… this was far too unbecoming of any shinobi.

The rightful owner of that eye should be ashamed.

And yet, he calmed his nerves and maintained an air of cold indifference. Considering his teammates, from the Hyuga's shattered self esteem to the civilian girl's insistence of following the rules, circumstances resulted in a very quiet room. Which was usually good, for Sasuke typically found the chatter of his peers a nuisance. But perhaps it would have at least provided a distraction from this annoyance.

"... WHERE THE HELL IS HE?!" Sakura at last exploded, pounding her fist on her desk and startling Hinata.

Before they could react any further, though, a strange male voice suddenly resounded in the room. "Wow, three hours. Got to be honest, thought you'd snap way before that. "

All three members of team seven immediately stood up and ready, looking all around in order to find the hidden voice to no avail. A resounding chuckle bid its way the room."Thought you'd last one hour, tops. So congrats on sitting quietly," it teased. Sasuke clenched his teeth. Was this really Kakashi Hatake…?

Hinata was the first to see him, and her eyes widened to shock as if she saw a ghost- and she soon looked like one, herself. Sasuke and Sakura turned to face the corner of the room soon after, only to find themselves staring at someone they thought they'd never see again in their entire lives.

Although clad in black, his jounin vest was an unmistakable orange. His hair was still as blonde and spiky, as bright as the sun. And although his left eye was covered by an eyepatch, his right eye was as blue as the sky and burned with an unmistakable mirth. And if that wasn't enough to convince them, three whisker marks were on each of his cheeks.

"Yo guys!" Naruto Uzumaki waved, chuckling widely at his own prank. "You can call me Naruto-Sensei. And from this day on, boy, will things be different."


End file.
